Motion of a user's hand when operating an image capture device, such as a still camera of a mobile telephone or a video camera, for example, causes both rotational and linear translational motion of the image capture device. In the case of a video camera such motion results in the production of an unsteady video sequence. In a still camera a blurred captured image results.
When an object plane is a substantial distance from an image capture device, for example 1000 mm or more, rotational motion of the image capture device is the dominant form of image degradation. However, as the distance between the object plane and the image capture device decreases, typically below 1000 mm, linear translational motion becomes the dominant form of image degradation. This problem can be particularly acute when a detailed captured image of a small object, for example a business card, is required. In such an example, the translational motion can result in details on the card becoming illegible.
Compensation for rotational motion of an image capture device is currently employed in certain digital video cameras and also in certain high-end, still cameras. Typically, such rotation compensation systems employ gyroscopes that record the magnitude and the direction of rotational motion. Usually, compensation for the rotational motion is carried out during the processing of the digital image signal.